Visit from Aunt Carol & Harper's First Babysitter

The weekend of September 28th Harper met her Great Aunt Carol from Hawaii :)  Carol flew into Minneapolis and drove down with Grandma Linda for a weekend visit. We stayed up late to greet Carol and Linda.  The next day we went to the Apple Orchard, watched the Badgers lose to Nebraska :(, and spent time catching up.  It was a perfect weekend! I took many pictures but they are on a different camera, once I upload them I will share on the blog.  In the meantime here are some other pictures over the last 2 weeks...

Standing up like a big girl!

 "I'm kinda a big deal"...

 Photo shoot with Ellis...

 Ellis wearing her fancy new hat...

 They look like best friends already...

 Yes, that is my daughter posing (or pulling out her hair...I'm not sure which one)...

 Snuggling with Daddy before bed...

 Swimming lessons with Daddy...

 More snuggles with Daddy...

 Chewing on Mommy's new "chew beads"...

 Look I have bracelets and necklaces already :) 

On Saturday, October 6th Harper had her first babysitter! It sounds scary but it wasn't at all! Harper's old daycare teacher spent the day with her at our house.  It was the perfect babysitter! We went to the Badger game and celebrated with friends.  This was my first time to let loose and it felt great.  We missed Harper like crazy but it was nice to feel free and young again! (Note: Harper has been babysat before but always by a family member)

Cara & Jessamy

 Jessamy & Cara in the Spectrum Brands tailgate wearing our Sconnie glasses

 Cara & Caitlin (we are missing a critical friend in this picture!)

 Cara & Alex and a beautiful RV

 Cara & Scott

 The ticket holders...

 PHOTO BOMB by Scrots

 Cara & Scott

 PHOTO BOMB by Kyle

 Carissa, Alex, and Cara

 The happy baby that was waiting for us to come home.  

8 Months Old Already?!?!

Wow, it's October 10th and our little baby girl is 8 months old! Time flies and everyday gets better and better with our little Harper. Here are some updates on the adventures of Harper Rose...

1. Harper likes to pull on Kirby's ears and fur. It scares us because we don't know how Kirby will respond. Thankfully Kirby has been so patient and sits there and lets Harper do over and over.  When Kirby gets upset she just starts kissing Harper's face (most likely making sure to get any leftovers from dinner). We love our baby and our puppy so we don't want to see anything bad happen. 

2. Harper LOVES to stand up.  We will put our hands in front of her and she will grab onto them and push herself up. She sometimes will pretend to cry (she has us wrapped around her finger already) and wait for us to put our hands out so she can stand.  Every time she stands up she is so proud of herself.

3. Harper continues to roll around to get from point A to point B.  She will backwards crawl and she uses one leg to crawl in a circle.  She has yet to crawl forward.  That's ok with us because we are only 50% finished with baby proofing.  

4. Right now Harper's favorite toys are her "donuts". She plays with them every morning while we are getting ready for work and every night when we are making dinner. 

5. Harper also loves the Fisher Price apps on my phone and iPad.  She will play with these apps for about 10-15 minutes and then moves onto another toy or activity.  

6. Harper clearly says "Da-Da" now.  She is starting to say "Ba-Ba".  She has been saying these words for awhile now but it is starting to sound like real words now.  

7. Harper's 3rd tooth arrived on Sunday, October 7th.  It is another bottom tooth.  Most babies get their 2 bottom teeth followed by 2 top teeth.  Harper just loves to be different.  

8.  Lately Harper has been very cuddly.  When she gets tired at night she wants to be snuggly with us.  She will finish her bottle and snuggle before bed.  She will put her head on my shoulder when she is tired.  It makes my heart melt.  

We love our little munchkin.  8 Months later we couldn't imagine our lives without her.  

All pictures below are from daycare...

Badger day!

Chewing on my finger! 

 Yummy books!

 On the playground chewing on a shovel...obviously ;) 

 Playing with the shovel...

 Hiding in the activity gym...

A Week in Pictures...

Here are some updated pictures...

Harper cheesin' with Kirby.  It looks like a dimple on her right cheek...

 Heeeeeeey Everybody...

 Check out my game day bibs!

 Posing with my hand on my hip...

 It is impossible to get a picture without her moving...this is the best we could get!

Flirting with the table next to us at dinner...

 Driving and playing with my donuts...

Our little Viking :) 

Smile if you LOVE Adrian Peterson :) 

New Back Splash...

Last fall we upgraded our counters to granite.  We absolutely love the granite but we couldn't decide on a back splash.  It took us a long time to pull the trigger (shocking).  We finally started the back splash project this weekend.  It's not finished yet, the grout will go up today.  Here is a sneak peak...

This has motivated me to start a HUGE kitchen project.  We'll see if Scott will let me do it...

First trip to Portillos!

I was in Bridget withdrawal so I planned a trip to meet her for lunch in Schaumburg, IL for some Portillos and shopping.  Scott and Casey were busy at home watching Sunday Football so I convinced my parents to come along for the day trip.  I love short day trips to visit my sister.  We hope to make another trip in October to do some more shopping and eating! Harper LOVED her big girl high chair at Portillos and shopping at IKEA. 

Bad hair day...

 Check out my teeth!

Badgers vs. Utah State

Saturday night the kickoff for the Badger game was at 7:00 pm.  We had a hard time deciding what to do with Harper considering her bedtime was in the middle of the game.  We decided on Saturday morning, that we'd take her for the first half and then leave so she could go to bed.  I think Harper knew it was a close game and that we needed to stay and cheer on the Badgers, because she lasted the ENTIRE game.  She sang Varsity at half time, "jumped around" before the 4th Quarter, and watched the Utah State kicker miss the game winning field goal with 10 seconds left in the game.  She was a perfect little angel for the entire game.  We were so proud of her.  Now we just need our Badgers to play some better football and then we'd be happy sports fans! 

Cara & Scott before the game

 Grandma Colleen with her little guy, Carter and family

 Carter's first tailgate = success! The Bowar clan...

 Matching shirts - Mike & Bill Love

 At the game!

 The crew during half time...

Harper's FIRST Swim Lesson...

Last week Harper started swim lessons.  We weren't sure what to expect considering she is only 7 months old.  The kids in her class are between 6 months and 2 years old.  It was the highlight of my week to watch my little girl swim with her Daddy in the water.  They both did a great job.  Harper was a little hesitant at first but she warmed up and did great.  We can't wait for next week's lesson!  

A little scared at first and staying close to Daddy

 Swimming with her boat

 Back pedaling

 Pushing off the side of the pool

 Happy after the first lesson.  Time to get out of the pool! 

A special thanks to her Daddy for going in the pool.  We LOVE you! :) 

Harper is 7 Months Old...

Harper is now 7 months old.  She is growing like a little pumpkin.  

Updates...

1. Harper sits by herself at all times.  She'd prefer to be sitting so she can look around and explore. She eats her bottles sitting up.  

2. Harper now sits in highchairs at restaurants and shopping carts while shopping. 

3. She now uses the #4 flow nipples because she is such a good eater. 

4. Harper has tried a few more solid foods.  She self fed herself some bananas.  Self feeding is hard work.  

5. She started to brush her teeth.  Her Grandpa Jim would be so proud! He will have to teach her as she gets older.  Right now she just chews on the toothbrush.  

6. She rolls constantly and tries to rollover and grab at things around her.  When you catch her she will stop and giggle at you.  

7. She will push off on your hands while sitting to pull herself up and stand. She loves to stand with your assistance. 

8. Harper will lay on her belly and use her legs to move.  She sometimes uses one leg and spins in a circle.  As soon as she figures out how to use both legs she will be crawling/scooting.  We better baby proof the house! 

9. She eats solid foods twice per day.  She will be starting 3 times per day this week. 

10. She LOVES to look at herself in the mirror.  

11. Harper is still wearing 3-6 month clothes.  She is a little too small for 6-12 months.  

12. She shakes her head back and forth if you ask her a question.  It's like she is saying NO.  It's hilarious.  If you ask her a question -  Are the badgers going to win today? - don't expect her to predict a win! ;) We will need to work on saying YES! 

Happy Hour with Nana Rosa

 First time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant

 This menu/coloring book looks like fun

 A wild night at Menards

 Brushing my teeth with my banana tooth brush

 Bundled up for a bike ride with Mommy and Daddy

 I love riding in my special seat.  My Daddy does a great job pulling me on his bike.  

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins...

Everyone has been asking me about my delicious pumpkin muffins.  I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It is actually a Weight Watchers recipe.  It is only 58 calories per muffin and makes about 20-24 muffins.  

Here is the recipe...

1 box of spiced cake (I've used spiced cake and vanilla...some reviews said to try chocolate)

1 can of pumpkin

Mix ingredients together.  Bake for 24 minutes @ 350 degrees.  

The first time I tried the recipe it said a cup of water is optional.  I tried it with the water and after a day or two the muffins got soggy.  So the 2nd time around I didn't add the water and on a few of the muffins I sprinkled in some mini chocolate chips.

These muffins are so yummy and guilt free!! Happy baking :) and Happy FALL :)
Cara